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HISTORY 20A:The Russian Empire, 1450-1800

(Same as
HISTORY 120A. History majors and others taking 5 units, register for 120A.) Explores rise of Russian state and expanse of empire; patterns of governance of a Eurasian empire; strategies and institutions of governance; survey of various ethnic and religious groups in empire and their varied cultures and political economies; gender and family; serfdom; Russian Orthodox religion and culture; reforms and Europeanization of 18th century.

HISTORY 20N:Russia in the Early Modern European Imagination

Preference to freshmen. The contrast between the early modern image of Europe as free, civilized, democratic, rational, and clean against the notion of New World Indians, Turks, and Chinese as savage. The more difficult, contemporary problem regarding E. Europe and Russia which seemed both European and exotic. Readings concerning E. Europe and Russia from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment; how they construct a positive image of Europe and conversely a negative stereotype of E. Europe. Prerequisite:
PWR 1.

HISTORY 31:Leonardo's World: Science, Technology, and Art in the Renaissance (HISTORY 131)

What did Leonardo actually know? How did he acquire that knowledge? Explores Leonardo's interests and accomplishments in such fields as painting, architecture, engineering, physics, mathematics, geology, anatomy, and physiology, and more generally the nature of Renaissance science, art, and technology. Considers the nrelationship between the society of fifteenth century Italy and the work of the man nfrom Vinci: why did this world produce a Leonardo? How might we use him to understand creativity, innovation, and invention in the Renaissance and beyond? What was his legacy and how did he become a myth? Designed both for students interested in the history of science, medicine, and technology and for students interested in the history and art of Renaissance Italy.

HISTORY 34A:European Witch Hunts

(Same as
HISTORY 134A. History majors and others taking 5 units, register for 134A.) After the Reformation, in the midst of state building and scientific discovery, Europeans conducted a series of deadly witch hunts, violating their own laws and procedures in the process. What was it about early modernity that fueled witch hunting? Witch trials and early modern demonology as well as historians' interpretations of events to seek answers to this question.

HISTORY 36N:Gay Autobiography (FEMGEN 36N)

Preference to freshmen. Gender, identity, and solidarity as represented in nine autobiographies: Isherwood, Ackerley, Duberman, Monette, Louganis, Barbin, Cammermeyer, Gingrich, and Lorde. To what degree do these writers view sexual orientation as a defining feature of their selves? Is there a difference between the way men and women view identity? What politics follow from these writers' experiences?

HISTORY 39:Modern Britain and the British Empire

(Same as
HISTORY 139. History majors and others taking 5 units, register in 139.) From American Independence to the latest war in Iraq. Topics include: the rise of the modern British state and economy; imperial expansion and contraction; the formation of class, gender, and national identities; mass culture and politics; the world wars; and contemporary racial politics. Focus is on questions of decline, the fortunes and contradictions of British liberalism in an era of imperialism, and the weight of the past in contemporary Britain.

HISTORY 42S:The Circle of Life: Visions of Nature in Modern Science, Religion, Politics and Culture

A new understanding of nature emerged in the 1700s that fundamentally altered our perception of the living world and humanity's relationship with it. By tracing the evolution of this understanding forward, we gain insight into the interactions among science, religion, politics and culture. Topics include: nature in Romantic science, poetry and art; Darwin's theory of evolution and its afterlife in science, literature and popular culture; the science and politics of the 20th-century environmental movement; and the philosophical presuppositions underlying modern debates about biodiversity. In addition to close readings of canonical texts and contemporary commentaries, students will be introduced to digital history methods. Students will design their own final projects in consultation with the instructor.

Last offered: Spring 2014
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum

HISTORY 44Q:Gendered Innovations in Science, Medicine, Engineering, and Environment

Section 1 focuses on the history of women in science, medicine, and engineering. Section 2 looks at transforming research institutions so that both men and women can flourish. Section 3 explores how sex and gender analysis can enhance creativity. We discuss concrete examples of how taking gender into account has yielded new research results. Stanford University currently has a multiple year collaboration with the European Commission for Gendered Innovations, and this class will be part of that project. This course fulfills the second level Writing and Rhetoric Requirement (WRITE 2) and will emphasize oral and multimedia presentation.

HISTORY 46N:Science and Magic in History

Preference to freshmen. This course explores the intertwined histories of science and magic. We will begin with the emergence of experimental modern science from natural magic during the Renaissance and will look closely at the apparatus of the natural magician -- magic lanterns and other optical devices, magnets, siphons and other tricky gadgets -- which supplied the first experimental philosophers with their instruments. We will follow the development of scientific performances through the electrical and pneumatic amusements of the 18th century and the founding of "modern magic" in the 19th. Finally, we will look at the legacy of this joint history for both magic and science today. You may think magic and science sound like opposites, but by the light of history -- presto! -- you will see them merge in surprising ways.

Last offered: Autumn 2014
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum

HISTORY 48:The Egyptians (AFRICAAM 30, CLASSICS 82, HISTORY 148)

Overview of ancient Egyptian pasts, from predynastic times to Greco-Roman rule, roughly 3000 BCE to 30 BCE. Attention to archaeological sites and artifacts; workings of society; and cultural productions, both artistic and literary. Participation in class is required.